Zahra Shahid case: Absconding suspects declared proclaimed offenders by ATC

Hussain was shot dead outside her house in DHA on May 17, 2013, on the eve of re-polling in the NA-250 constituency

KARACHI:

The four absconders implicated in the murder case of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zahra Shahid Hussain have been declared proclaimed offenders by an anti-terrorism court (ATC).

The ATC-III declared Junaid Bukhari, Tariq Nawaz, Asif alias Ganja and Irfan alias Lamba proclaimed offenders as the investigation officer of the case submitted a report for proclamation and attachment of property in court.

On the previous hearing, the judge, Saleem Raza Baloch, had ordered the police to initiate proceedings against the absconding suspects under Section 87 (proclamation of person absconding) and 88 (attachment of property of person absconding) of the Code of Criminal Procedure after police contended that they were unable to arrest the suspects.

Meanwhile, two suspects, Muhammad Rashid alias Master and Zahid Abbas Zaidi, are currently in jail custody for their alleged involvement in the case and copies of the charges have been supplied to them. Hussain was shot dead outside her house in Defence Housing Authority on May 17, 2013, on the eve of re-polling in the NA-250 constituency. The killing sparked a wave of political tension as the PTI accused Muttahida Qaumi Movement for the murder.

The case has been registered under Sections 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act at the Gizri police station.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2015.